What a pleasant surprise to see the article on aviation history in Burbank ("Turning our back on aviation heritage," April 22). It was wonderful to see the name of our volunteer group, the Burbank Aviation Museum. The roar (no pun here) of activists arguing over the current aviation issues normally overshadows our existence. I agree with Joe Santos completely.

The amazing amount of aviation history in the San Fernando Valley is a rich treasure that should be displayed with pride. The men and women who did the work deserve a place to visit and to share their experiences. Union Airport in Burbank, Grand Central in Glendale and Metropolitan Airport in Van Nuys and the hundreds of aviation related businesses; all were at the zenith of aviation development for many years. And now they are almost completely gone. The last Lockheed Skunk Works building (2801 N. Hollywood Way) was flattened a few weeks ago and the A-1 home of the Constellation and the Vega B-17 is being knocked down now.

But before this history can be presented, it must be captured with oral histories and memorabilia; especially the story of the Skunk Works. Those who worked in the "black" world were admonished to never tell and they are still extremely sparse in their conversations. They need a place to go where the spirit lives and where they can be comfortable in speaking. It would be great if it could be the world-class aviation museum this area deserves, but I would be happy with just a storefront or an old industrial building somewhere in Burbank; a simple place dedicated to our aviation heritage.

The Lockheed Co., never noted for spending money on preserving history, has moved on to Palmdale and out of state.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority made it clear early on that they were barred from spending money on anything but the daily running of their facility; there would be no money for museum space built into their budget. Of course, they will hang photos and murals and such in a new terminal but I wonder what story they will tell. I doubt they will call on us. How strange it is that the very airport agency that quickly tore down the Earhart/Hughes Hanger without proper historical review and before we could gather community support for its relocation, and the same agency that developed an environmental impact report that stated, "There is no historically significant land within one mile of the airport," will soon be responsible for presenting to the public the very history they have helped demolish in Burbank.

We have had lots of individual support and even some from city officials, but there has been no official support or recognition of our grassroots effort or the importance of our goals. There was complete silence from the Burbank Redevelopment Agency and our bid to utilize the empty Natural History Museum space was rejected. The city explained that, if they helped us then they would have to help every other group, so...there you go.

I'm sorry if I sound bitter or blaming, it's just that I too thought that there would be support from someone with money or space or power. This group has survived solely on the generosity of its volunteers for eight years now. We've all spent a lot of time and a lot of our own money trying to bring this story to the public. There have been many vacant buildings in Burbank over the years, why couldn't we use some of that space to get started? How about the space used by Calstart, couldn't we fit in there? Of all the acres of historic aviation-related land in Burbank, are there any plans by any developer to incorporate any significant history? I doubt it and I certainly haven't been told of it. I did read that the Disney Imagineers refer to their Lockheed office building on Thornton Ave. as "Skunky." Isn't that special?

Now that all the historic aviation sites are leveled you might think that the dream is gone also, but I hope not. I believe the story is still alive at the Portal of the Folded Wings just south of the Burbank Airport. Come and see us any Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Bring your memories and memorabilia to share with us...it's fun and it's important.

J. Ron Dickson is director of the Burbank Aviation Museum. Reach him at 845-3300, or e-mail to 'jrdickson@earthlink.net